This document will show you how to create a site-map style topic navigation module for your Live KB Site(s). This module will display your highest-level topics, which once clicked, will direct the user to a page with links to sub-topics and their associated documents.

Site Navigation by Topic via Side Module

The image below is an example of what we are trying to achieve. It is a screenshot of the Demo Sample KB's Side Module Navigation.

The Demo Sample KB Staff have created a Topics Tree and have assigned documents to each topic in the tree. One of the topics is "Browsers", which is a Level 5 topic in their Topics Tree. Upon clicking on the "Browsers" link in the Topics side Module, the "Browsers" topic appears to the right along with all of it's subsequent sub-topics. You have the option click on buttons that allow you to see all the documents assigned to a topic or get the RSS Feed.

Create Topics Side Module

Populate the Side Module Link "Link URL*" Field

The construction of the URL is a bit tricky. You will need to determine your Topic ID number and the Topic Level number.

In the image below you see all the Side Module Links in the Side Module, called "Topics". Next to "Browsers", the Link URL* field is circled in red and shows the link, topics.php?c=1057&l=5&a=d. The "1057" indicates the topic ID number, and the 5 determines the level of that specific topic. Follow the instruction below to determine your Side Module Link's "Link URL*".

To determine your Topic ID number, Admins can go to the KB Admin Tools > Topics Tab > and locate their topic in one of the Level X Topics links/screens. The Topic ID number is found to the left of the Topic name.

In the image below, the "Browser" topic is found in the Level 5 Topics screen. The Topic ID is 1057.

In constructing the Link URL* string, you need to incorporate those two piece of information:

The Topics ID number = X

Level Number of that Topic into this string = Y

into this string topics.php?c=X&l=Y&a=d

Replacing the X and Y will lead you to a string ready to place into the Link URL* field in the Side Module links. In the image below, the Link URL* field for the "Browsers" topic shows topics.php?c=1057&l=5&a=d

After the appropriate settings are enabled for your purposes, click the Update button to save your work.